


Give It Away

by Amarilly (Tookbaggins)



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: AU, AU of the poem The Highwayman, Cindy/Luna, F/F, there is character death but it’s at the very end and not explicitly shown
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-20
Updated: 2020-05-20
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:32:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,035
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24293647
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tookbaggins/pseuds/Amarilly
Summary: Luna strained against the ropes that held her to the bedpost, heedless of the men and their guns. Her eyes searched the dark, distant road in desperation  Where was her thief?
Relationships: Cindy Aurum/Lunafreya Nox Fleuret
Comments: 2
Kudos: 2
Collections: Eos Compendium





	Give It Away

**Author's Note:**

> This piece was written for the Eos Compendium. 
> 
> Does this ship have a name, I wonder?

This was bad. This was horrible. Luna sat stiffly, her mind barely registering the hard lines of the bedpost digging into her back. The ropes dug into her arms, the rough fibers burning as they scratched into her skin. Not even the hard barrel of the gun, warm from her own body, mattered where it pressed hard into the space beneath her breast. She had eyes only for the window, and the pale road threading it’s way toward the inn. 

Midnight was drawing near. She’d been packing her few belongings into a small leather bag when the soldiers came pounding at her door, forcing their way in. They’d kept her from leaving, binding her there, waiting when she was supposed to be leaving. 

Midnight. They were supposed to have taken that road together, she and Cindy, and they were going to leave this place behind. Any moment there would be hoof beats in the dark, Cindy bearing into view astride the dark horse stolen from the mill down the river. Luna’s eyes burned at the thought and she scowled, pushing the feeling away. She wouldn’t show that weakness to these men, not as long as she could help herself. 

Her eyes left the road for a moment, checking their positions around the room. There were three of them, poised with their rifles to fall upon the beautiful outlaw as soon as she was close enough. It was a cowardly tactic.

Hoof beats! She couldn’t stop herself. She shifted on the numb feet folded beneath her and lurched forward against the ropes. It couldn’t be! Not already! The man nearest the window crept forward and raised his gun, his attention focusing through the sight and scanning the road as intensely as Luna’s own. The sound grew louder and ice cold panic welled in her, choking her as she struggled to find her voice. It came out hoarse with desperation.

“Stop! Stop, please don’t!” A movement on the edge of her vision didn’t catch her attention, but the pain of a rifle butt cracking against the side of her skull momentarily drove Cindy from her mind. Her head snapped to the side and dropped limply, the floor seeming to tilt beneath her. One of the men grasped her hair, pulling her head up and jamming a rope into her mouth. He released her hair, pulling the rope behind her head and tying it tightly. 

“It’s a carriage.” The man at the window sounded disappointed. Luna lifted her head slowly, willing away the turning of her stomach. A carriage? Cindy would be on horseback. She always was. Relief washed over her and she sagged back against the post. For a moment the feeling drowned out the awful terror she had felt. There was still time. For what, she didn’t know. Time to think. Time to try. 

She looked around, wiggling again against the ropes. The men had gathered around the window, bickering in whispers. “You were going to shoot her, idiot! You’ll have the whole town on us in minutes! Let her come for her woman, we’ll jump her then.” 

“Fine! Do it the hard way.” The man who had been at the window scowled at the others. “My way was quicker, though.” 

“That body won’t be worth anything to us if we’re dead. You want to collect on her or not?” The man rubbed his forehead, sighing in irritation. He leaned against the window frame and lowered his gun as he gave in. The three of them settled back into their spots, grumbling and glaring at each other. The room felt uneasy. They had been mostly silent, but the small argument confirmed what Luna had known already - they were bounty hunters. Traitors for money.

Luna twisted her wrists slowly, trying not to draw attention to herself. The ropes were rough, and they itched and stung against her raw skin, digging in to hold their place. There was no give, no room for her searching fingers to pick at a knot. She felt nothing but the body warmed steel of the rifle in front of her. 

If they were waiting for Cindy to come for her...she bit at the rope in her mouth, ignoring the fibers tearing at her lips. If Cindy saw her like this...but no. She wouldn’t have time to see her like this. She couldn’t let that happen. The thought of her brave, beautiful thief falling to these men tore through her mind: Cindy at the door, her eyes wide and startled, on the floor, scarlet soaking through the gold of her hair or dark bruises ringing her neck. 

Luna jerked upright, her panic causing her to no longer think about being careful. The closest man glanced at her without concern. He was right to be confident. Even her hand movements had no effect on the bindings. She tried a few more times, pulling more viciously, her eyes welling with tears. It wasn’t working! There was nothing she could do! 

Hoof beats! Luna went still, gasping around the rope in her mouth. The men perked up as well. “It’s her.” Luna sobbed. No! She wanted to scream, but all that came out was a despairing moan. Cindy would never hear that. It was useless. The hoof beats grew louder, quickly approaching the inn. 

The men began to move, two of them flanking the door while the third readied his gun just in case. Luna threw herself against her bonds. The gun shifted to press harder into her. The curve of the trigger guard glided against her hand. 

The thought that came to her was almost as terrible as knowing within moments her Cindy would be captured, beaten, killed…

Almost. 

There was no time. Not any more. 

Stillness came over her. She was scared of so many things. Scared of the warm metal as her finger slid along the trigger and curled around it. Scared of the men around her. She didn’t want to throw away the life together they’d promised each other. Tears spilled searing against her cheeks as she closed her eyes, focusing her thoughts on a soft smile and bright eyes. She pulled the trigger. 

She would gladly give it away.


End file.
